


Friend of Fate

by Carlos Danger (Talon88)



Category: Star Wars Legends - All Media Types
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-15
Updated: 2013-08-15
Packaged: 2019-10-24 08:08:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,304
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17700629
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Talon88/pseuds/Carlos%20Danger
Summary: Something horrible happens to Luke Skywalker and Mara Jade must risk her life to save him.This is from a writing challenge:  Write a Star Wars story based on a classic fairy tale (Grimm or otherwise) and insert Luke and Mara into it. I'm not to tell the readers what fairy tale I picked; So you have to guess.I must include the words: Popsicle, Catastrophe & Pittance (Don't ask me why those words. I don't make the rules).So I wrote up something real quick based on a Disney Fairy Tale. It is loosely based on a fairy tale. So hopefully you can guess which one it is based on.





	Friend of Fate

**12 ABY aboard the smuggler ship _Wild Karrde_**

Mara had just settled down to sleep when there was a soft rap at her door. She got out of her bunk with an irritated shake of her head as she pulled on a bathrobe. It never failed that right before bedtime some catastrophe came up that only she could handle. She pushed the control button to open the door.

"What is it now?" She snarled making sure her visitor heard the irritation in her voice. She was surprised to find her boss, Talon Karrde, standing outside and looking troubled.

"Mara, you have a transceiver communication marked urgent."

She tightened her robe's belt around her waist as she stepped out of the cabin. "Who is it?"

Talon fell into step next to her as they moved toward the communications room. "It's is marked private…and it is a live transmission, not a message."

"Oh," Mara muttered apprehensively. Recorded messages cost a mere pittance compared to the exorbitant expenditure of live transmissions. Usually trans-galactic live messages meant something very important and usually very bad has happened.

Karrde gave her some privacy as she entered the comm room. She centered herself in front of the transceiver screen and punched in her access codes. She thought it was either Skywalker or Organa Solo calling to drag her into some fool's errand that most likely would get her killed, but she was wrong. The person that appeared on the vid-screen was absolutely  _not_  who she expected to see.

"Callista?"

The blondish-brown haired woman looked horrible with red-rimmed blood shot eyes and a face streaked with tears. "Mara Jade I hope you can help me. Luke went on a mission and never returned. The Jedi have searched for him and his sister sent out search parties, but with no success."

Mara's stomach dropped upon hearing the news, but she was confused as to why she was being contacted. "What can I do?"

Callista started to talk but burst out in tears. She signaled to somebody off screen. After a few seconds Corran Horn's face appeared. "Mara you can sense Luke better than anybody…even his sister. We know where he went missing, but nobody can sense him. If he's alive you are our best hope of finding him."

When Corran said,  _'if he's alive'_  Mara could hear more sobs from Luke's lover. Mara closed her eyes and shook her head. "Corran, if his sister can't sense him, I doubt I can."

Corran looked to his right to where Callista disappeared. He stepped closer to the transceiver and whispered so Callista couldn't hear him. "You know that's bantha crap. You two have a connection, whether you want to believe it or not."

"We do not have…" Mara started but Corran interrupted her.

"Damn it Mara," he hissed. "You can deny having feelings for the man all you want. I just want to find him. He's been missing for a week." His face softened as he looked at her pleadingly. "Please Mara."

She let out an exasperated breath. "Fine. We're coming up on the planet Gizer. Can you pick me up there?"

Corran gave her a relieved smile. "I'm too far away, but I'll get my father-in-law to rendezvous with you there with the  _Errant Venture_  and provide you a shuttle."

"That'll work. Where was Luke last seen?"

"Taris. He was investigating a rumor that the Black Sun crime organization has reappeared and established an operation there."

Mara winced. She really didn't want to deal with the Black Sun, but she also didn't want to be the person who refused to look for Luke Skywalker, golden boy of the New Republic. "Send me what information you have on the situation. I'll let you know when I get there. Jade out."

She shut off the transmission and walked back to her room. She needed some rest and she had a feeling she wasn't going to get much sleep in the next few weeks.

.

.

.

**_Taris- Lower Levels_ **

Mara glanced back to the young, tall woman following her and Corran Horn. "Why did Callista come along for the ride?" Mara whispered to the Jedi.

He sighed and leaned closer to her to be heard. "It's her boyfriend that's missing. You would do the same if you were dating Luke."

Mara bristled at the comment. "Yeah, like I'd date Skywalker. I would be in a perpetual state of rescuing his butt."

"True," Corran muttered with a grin.

At the moment the three were working their way down to level twenty-seven of the Taris underground city system. Like Coruscant, the further down you went the more dangerous it got. They had left  _'civilization'_  about ten levels up. As they moved deeper and deeper into the subterranean system the darker and danker the passageways became. Luke's last communication came from this level, but she couldn't feel his presence. Mara reached out with the Force trying to sense him. She could feel the auras of small creatures nearby, possibly spider-rats or reptiles.

There was no shortage of insects or arachnids in these tunnels. She had seen at least a dozen species of centipede, beetles, spiders and other multi-limbed invertebrates. She had tolerated worse while working as the Emperor's Hand. Callista, on the other hand, didn't appear to have a high tolerance for creepy crawlers. More than once she let out a yelp as she started smacking her tunic in an attempt to kill whatever crawled under her shirt.

Mara, for some reason, found this quite entertaining. It wasn't that she disliked the woman…okay that wasn't true… she disliked the woman, but she wasn't sure why. Callista shrieked again as she frantically slapped at her hair to dislodge what looked like a small spider-roach. Mara chuckled at the woman's misfortune. Corran elbowed her and smirked. "You are enjoying that far too much."

Mara was about to give him a snappy comeback when she sensed something. She stopped and grabbed Corran's sleeve to halt him. "Do you feel that?"

Callista came up behind the two. "Feel what?"

"Shhhhh!" Mara snapped back. "There is something coming our way?"

Callista looked at Corran and then Mara. "Could it be Luke?"

Corran must have sensed what Mara felt. "No, it isn't human."

Mara took a step backwards. Her danger senses were flaring. "But it's hungry." She looked around her surroundings. "This is not the best place to make a stand. There are more than one and they feel big and angry."

"I feel it too and whatever it is reeks of the darkside," Corran turned and grabbed Callista's hand. "Let's get Callista to safety." He started running down the way they came.

Callista pulled her hand out of Corran's grip. "We all have lightsabers," Callista said as she pulled a lightsaber off her belt.

Corran frowned. "A lightsaber without the Force is more dangerous to us than whatever is coming. You'll probably take our heads off."

"Can we discuss this somewhere else," Mara yelled. She could feel the darkside closing in on her. There was a loud crash down the passageway and she could hear the tramping of feet on the duracrete floor and the snarl of a wild beast. "Let's go." She began her turn to run when she saw movement in the corner of her eye. She grabbed her lightsaber and activated it. She could hear Corran and Callista do the same. "Callista get out of here!" She was able to yell before the glow of her saber reflected off long teeth and claws of the monster pursing them.

Mara brought her saber us and slashed at the creature taking out his knees and his head, but it was replaced by another monster from behind. It scrambled over the body of his dead comrade and continued the attack. The creature didn't seem as stupid as his predecessor and approached Mara cautiously. It wasn't until then that she got a good look at it. She made a furtive glance to Corran who was standing by her side his lightsaber blazing. "Rakghouls!"

"What?" Jedi Horn said in shock. "They're extinct."

Mara waved her lightsaber at the Rakghoul slowly stalking forward. "Tell that to the Rakghoul."

"I thought they were non-sentient and aggressive. What's he waiting for?" Corran slashed at the creature while backing up.

In the distance she could hear the screams of more monsters in the distance. "My guess is he is waiting for reinforcements." She risked a look over her shoulder. "Callista, why are you still here?"

The Old Republic Jedi looked irritated at the question. "I'm here to help."

Mara brought her attention back to the monster in front of her. "Then put away your saber and use your blaster instead. We have to be careful. One bite or scratch from a Rakghoul and you're infected. A few hours you'll be this guy's long lost twin." Mara kept her lightsaber activated but used her left hand to pull out her hold out blaster. She took a shot at the beast. It screamed but didn't go down. "Great, blasters don't work very well. I guess we are back to lightsabers."

Mara jumped forward and attacked the Rakghoul in front on her. She went for a killing blow but the large beast swung his arm out and barely missed Mara's midsection. As she pulled back Corran lunged toward the creature and managed to strike the creature in the midsection. Mara pressed the attack with a swinging arc that took off one leg below the knee. The creature bellowed but jumped forward. Corran dealt the killing blow, decapitating the beast.

There was no time to celebrate. Three more Rakghouls came rushing up to them. Mara could feel beads of sweat form on her brow as she slashed and parried and did everything she could to keep the beast's claws and teeth away from her. She needed to kill it; it only needed to scratch her to deal a fatal blow.

The fight continued with Corran and Mara slashing and Callista blasting the animals whenever she got a clear shot. After killing a dozen of the creatures they found themselves exhausted and facing at least two more of the savage beasts.

"Corran, I'll hold them off. You get Callista and yourself out of here."

"No kriff'n way I'm leaving you here!"

"Corran. Think of your wife."

They could hear another Rakghoul coming down the passageway behind the two they were fighting. "They are just going to keep coming. You need to get out of here Corran and take Callista."

Before the Jedi could respond there was a terrible screech as the Rakghoul in the back of the pack brought its teeth down on the neck of the Rakghoul nearest Mara nearly decapitating it. The same Rakghoul then turned and attacked the second monster tearing out its throat. Corran moved forward to kill the hyper-aggressive beast but Mara called out. "Stop! Don't hurt it!"

Corran turned to her in shock. "Let's kill it before more of them come." He brought his saber up to strike the creature but Mara brought her blue blade to block his attack.

"Stop! Look at its arm!"

Corran looked at the creature kneeling on the dead bodies of his fellow Rakghouls, but making no effort to attack them. The left arm of the monster was a malformed limb with ropy muscle and knobby fingers tipped with sharp claws. The right hand was…human.

"It hasn't completed metamorphosis?" Corran ventured a guess.

Mara shook her head. "It's a prosthesis."

"Why would a Rakghoul have a cybernetic arm?"

Mara rolled her eyes. "It's Luke."

"No." Corran stared at the creature.

"Reach out with the Force!"

Corran looked at Mara with a furrowed brow, but he stepped back and reached out with the Force. He stared at the Rakghoul in front of them. The large creature had backed away and was now sitting on his haunches just gazing at them.

"Luke?" Corran finally choked out.

"What?" Callista said as she stepped forward, but her blaster remained aimed at the beast.

"It was Luke," Mara said with tears running down her face. "He's still in there. He is fighting the virus."

Corran gaped at Mara wide-eyed. "Can you communicate with him?"

Mara turned off her lightsaber and closed her eyes concentrating. ' _Luke, can you hear me?'_  she thought mentally and through the Force.

The monster made a plaintive wail but Mara could hear Luke's voice clearly in her head.

' _It's me. I fought off a couple dozen of the monsters, but one scratched me. Two days later…well you can see what happened."_

A sob escaped Mara as she brought her hand up to wipe tears from her eyes. She turned to Callista and Corran. "It's him. He was attacked two days ago."

Callista dropped to her knees in anguish, her face etched with sorrow. "No, no!" She buried her head in her hands. "There's no cure."

Corran leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. "Force! What are we going to do?"

Callista struggled back to her feet and looked at Luke sadly. "We have to put him out of his misery."

Mara was shocked by the words. "Are you insane! We're not going to kill Luke!"

Corran looked miserable. "He's no longer Luke."

Mara positioned herself between the Rakghoul and her two companions. "He's been able to hold off the virus and maintain his consciousness. We have to find a way to help him."

"Mara," Corran said slowly, his voice strained. "If we take him with us. We'll put all of us in danger. If he loses his control over the virus he can kill us all and start another Rakghoul plague."

Callista nodded. "We can't take the chance, Mara. He's already dead."

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Here was Luke's girlfriend advocating the murder of her lover. "No! He's coming with me. I can help him."

Callista shook her head. "Mara I spent decades training as a Jedi. I know about the plague. It would take years to find a cure. Meanwhile he will suffer."

A snarl crossed Mara's face. "I may not be a Jedi, but I spent two decades living among the Sith. This is a disease created by Sith alchemy and it can be cured the same way. I'll find a way."

She saw Callista and Corran look at each other and she could tell they didn't hold the same conviction as she did. She ignited her lightsaber. "Corran leave. And take Callista before I go all darkside and kill her."

Behind her she heard Rakghoul-Luke moan.

' _Don't hurt her',_  she could hear him beg.

' _I'm not, Farmboy. I'm just trying to get rid of her.'_

' _Maybe they are right. I'm a danger to all of you. Death would be preferable over endangering the people I love.'_

Mara didn't reply through the Force. She turned to the Rakghoul and yelled. "Stop talking like that. I  _will_  find a cure!" She brought her attention back to Callista and Corran. "If I can't find a cure. I will end it for him. Give me a chance. Luke deserves that."

She could see tears in Corran's eyes. He nodded his head. "Okay." He took off his cloak and handed it to Mara. "This will help disguise him. Wait until early morning when most people are asleep and take the shuttle. Keep me apprised of the situation."

"Thanks," she said as she took the cloak. "Now go."

Corran turned and motioned for Callista to follow. She stood motionless staring at Luke for a long moment. "Goodbye Luke. I loved…love you." She turned and moved down the tunnel following Corran.

Mara turned to Rakghoul-Luke. "I'll find a cure for you. Just watch the teeth and claws until I do."

The creature nodded its large spiked head. Mara tossed the cloak to her friend. The creature caught it and swung it over its shoulders.

' _Thanks Mara'_ , she heard him say.

She gave him a wane smile. "I just hope you are still ' _fresher trained'_."

The Rakghoul made a rumbling noise that she interpreted as laughter.

She pulled out her datapad. "These tunnels go under the docking bay my shuttle is at. With any luck we can get you on the ship unseen." She memorized the route and turned off the device. "Let's go."

.

.

.

' _Where are we going?'_  Luke thought to his travel companion. They had gotten onto her shuttle and had quickly left the planet hours ago.

"Korriban," Mara said matter-of-factly. "Maybe I can find a Holocron or information that will help me change you back."

' _What if you can't cure me?'_

Mara turned in the pilot seat to look at Luke sitting on the floor of the cargo bay. He was too large for any of the seats on the ship.

"I'll do something. I can drop you off on an uninhabited planet or I can…I can end things for you. I'll leave that decision up to you."

Luke nodded as he leaned against the bulkhead wall. He was struggling to maintain mental control over his badly deformed body. He wasn't as confident as Mara that she could find a cure, but he was deeply touched by her determination to save him. He looked at her sitting in the cockpit and wondered how he lucked out to have a friend like her—somebody willing to risk everything to help him. And this wasn't the first time. She saved him twice on Wayland. He sadly lowered his heavy malformed head as he remembered Callista urging Corran to kill him for their safety. Deep down Luke knew she was just being practical but it still hurt him. Callista's last words also stung him. 'I loved you', she said in past tense. She tried to correct what she said, but he knew things were over between them.

"Stop moping," Mara called out to him. "I can sense those depressing thoughts rattling around that giant head of yours."

He made a snuffling noise that he assumed was the Rakghoul version of a snort.  _'I'm a Rakghoul, Callista no longer loves me, what_ isn't _there to be depressed about?'_

"You still have your good looks." She turned and smiled at him. "You are definitely the best looking Rakghoul I've ever met." She got out of her seat and came back to the cargo area and opened up the cooling unit of the small galley. "Are you hungry?"

' _Famished. I seem to be in a constant state of hunger.'_

Mara nodded as she looked through the refrigeration unit with no luck. She checked the freezer and found only two items. One was a frost-encrusted popsicle that looked like it had been there for years and the second was some kind of ground meat wrapped in a freezer bag. "I can cook you up some meat if you like."

Luke extended out his organic hand. He had found his cybernetic limb useless and pulled it off once they were on the shuttle.  _'No need. I think this body prefers food raw.'_

"It's frozen."

' _Just toss it over.'_

She shrugged as she lobbed the frozen food over to him. He caught it, ripped off the plastic and chewed on it like a frozen treat.

"You're easy to cook for now," Mara jested as she went back to the pilot's seat.

Luke tried to roll his eyes, but wasn't sure if he accomplished the task in his new body. ' _Thanks, Mara_.  _You are a true friend,'_  he thought to her.  _'I don't know if I ever told you how much you mean to me.'_

Mara didn't respond, but Luke could sense she was slightly uncomfortable with his discussion of feelings.  _'Sorry, I don't want to make things more awkward between us.'_

She chuckled and he was happy to hear her laugh. "How can it get  _more_  awkward between us? My best friend is a virus carrying Rakghoul that lost all of his clothing and is having trouble squeezing into the fresher. And when he does make it inside his aim is atrocious. "

Luke looked down and realized for the first time that his clothing must have been torn off with the growth of his body. All he had was the cloak that Corran gave him. He took the garment off his shoulders and placed it in his lap. He was sure if a Rakghoul could blush he was doing it now.

Mara must have noticed his discomfort. "Don't worry about it, Luke." Mara said softly. "I'm just trying to lighten the mood."

Luke nodded with a grunt. He looked back up to her.  _'I'm your best friend?'_

She turned her head to look at him. "Yes, is that hard to believe?"

' _Why did you leave the Praxeum then?'_

"I was unhappy there."

' _Why?'_

"Can we drop this conversation? I wasn't happy. That's all you need to know."

' _I'd like to know what I did wrong, just in case you cure me and you eventually return.'_

She gave a snort. "I'm not going to return."

' _Why not?'_

"I don't think your girlfriend likes me."

Rakghoul-Luke tilted his large head in confusion.  _'Why do you think that?'_

"Because she's a female and I'm a female and you're male." Mara said sarcastically. "Women don't like other eligible women around their man."

' _But it's not like you're interested in me,_ ' Luke countered. When Mara didn't reply he continued somewhat shocked.  _'Are you interested in me? I mean…'_ he looked down at his grotesque body.  _'Were you interested in me…before…before this happened?'_

She made an exasperated grunt. "Drop it Skywalker before I space you."

He nodded his head and remained quiet. He didn't want to cause discord between them when she was putting her life on the line to help him. He laid down on the ship deck and tried to go into a meditative trance and hope with the help of the Force that he could beat this disease.

.

.

.

**_Korriban_ **

"Skywalker!"

Mara's voice pulled Luke out of his meditative trance. He looked up and saw Mara gazing down at him. He tried to smile lovingly, but that gesture must have came off as sinister because Mara's eyes widen as she took a protective step back. Luke realized sadly that all he was doing is baring razor sharp teeth at her. He looked at his left hand and almost cried. The skin was as thick as bantha-hide, the joints knobby and the claws deadly. He was a monster. He didn't even like to look upon himself in the 'fresher mirror. He was hideously deformed. He wasn't sure why Mara didn't kill him. He knew she had no clue as to how to help him.

He slowly stood making sure he slouched a little. He already banged his head a couple times on the ceiling. Not that it hurt him; his head was a mass of spikes and hardened ridged bone covered with brown, leathery flesh. He simply didn't want to damage the ship by shoving a head spike through the shuttle fuselage.

' _Why Korriban, Mara?'_

She chewed her bottom lip nervously. "Palpatine once told me the planet was the graveyard of Sith Lords. He sent me here once in search for Sith Holocrons."

Luke could see her visibly shudder.

"I found one, so there may be more. Maybe I can find out a way to counter this virus."

' _Even if we find one, I was under the impression that only Sith can access them safely.'_

"I activated the one I found for Palpatine with no problems. Don't worry." She pushed a button near the rear hatch door. The loading ramp slowly lowered exposing a harsh, red sky and a cold, dry wind whipping past the door. "Lovely," Mara said sarcastically. She turned to Luke who was wearing Corran's cloak wrapped around his waist like a Fallanassi sarong. "We're near the Valley of the Dark Lords. If there is going to be a Holocron, it'll be there."

.

.

.

They walked through the ancient ruins of the abandoned Sith city, checking every tomb they found. It took most of the day but finally they found a pyramidal object that Mara identified as a Sith Holocron. She was able to read the inscription on the outside of the object. "This Holocron belongs to a Sith named Sorzus Syn." She looked over to Luke. "Have you heard of this person?"

' _No'_ , he replied through the Force.

Mara examined the Holocron for a moment trying to remember how she activated the last one she found. After a few moments if pushing and pulling the Holocron glowed red and the holographic image of a homely woman with dark redeyes and ragged tufts of short white hair appeared above the artifact.

"I am Dark Lord Sorzus Syn, Holocron Gatekeeper, author of the Sith Code, creator of the Muur Talisman, Master of alchemy and sorceries." The image glared at Mara. "You are not Sith."

Luke saw Mara smirk. "The Sith are no more. I am as close as you are going to get. I am Mara Jade, Emperor's Hand to the late Darth Sidious."

Luke knew she was putting on an act for Lord Syn, but it was still unnerving at how confident and proud Mara sounded while announcing her title. It must have convinced the Holocron gatekeeper, though. After a few moments of hesitation the image of Lord Syn spoke. "What do you wish to know?"

Mara gestured to Luke. "My companion was infected by the Rakghoul plague a disease of Sith alchemy. I wish to know how to bring him back. Is there a spell or potion I can use to cure him?"

"Rakghouls," the image said slowly. "This disease is the creation of Lord Karness Muur. There are only two cures. One is a curative serum but that can only halt the transformation, it cannot bring back a person who had already changed to a Rakghoul."

"What is the second cure?"

"He must use the Force to heal himself." The image cocked her head to the side in contemplation. "He must be strong in the Force to maintain his reason, but the virus created did not affect Force-sensitives. It must have mutated over the years."

"So he simply has to purge his body of the virus using a Force healing technique?"

"Yes, but he must be strong in the Force and strong in will. It will be difficult."

Mara turned to Luke. "Luke, you have to try a healing trance."

Rakghoul-Luke made a growling sound.  _'Do you think I didn't try that Mara? I've been trying to rid my body of the virus since I was infected.'_ He sat down on the temple floor and ran his hand over his malformed head.  _'What's the use? I'm a failure as a Jedi and a companion. Two of my students went darkside and my lover walked away from me to die. Maybe it is best that this ends here and now.'_ He gazed up at Mara feeling hopeless and miserable.  _'Please end this for me.'_

Luke heard the Holocron gatekeeper chuckle. "He already looks defeated. Emperor's Hand, your choice in companions is poor. He has the strength in the Force, but he does not have the will. He is already dead emotionally and spiritually. He is beyond help."

"No!" Mara protested. She walked over to Luke and knelt in front on him. "Luke you can't give up on yourself! You can beat this. You are more powerful than your father. I think you are more powerful than Palpatine himself. If anybody in this universe can beat this thing, it's you. Don't give up!"

Luke shook his head knowing his will to live had faded days ago.  _'I can't. She's right. I have given up on myself.'_

He could feel Mara's irritation rise through the Force. "That is a bunch of crap and you know it." She leaned in closer and gazed at him with an unnerving intensity. "You may have given up on yourself, but you have never once given up on me." Before Luke could stop her she reached out and grabbed his left hand, dragging her palm against his sharp claws. She held her bleeding hand in front of his wide shocked eyes. "Cure yourself and then cure me. Your fate will be mine."

Luke wailed in shock and fear. Mara gave him a sad smile and sat down hard on the ground. Luke could see the disease was starting its painful process already.

' _Why Mara! Why?'_

She smiled softly. "Because you're my friend and a Galaxy without Luke Skywalker is not one worth living in."

Luke closed his eyes and despite being in a darkside nexus he pulled the light side of the Force toward him. It poured into his body like a hurricane and flowed through his body and into his soul until he could feel the virus dying and leaving him. Painful spasms racked his frame as he felt his bones shorten, sinew tighten and skin thinning. He didn't think it was possible to experience pain worse than the transformation to a Rakghoul, but he did. He fell to the ground screaming in agony, but never letting go of his grip of the Force…Mara was depending on him. It felt like an eternity, but eventually the pain subsided. He was drenched with sweat as he sat up and looked at his hand. The left was human again. The right hand was missing but his healed stump was definitely human. He grinned and let out a relieved breath. He looked over to Mara and saw her breathing was labored as blood dripped from her nose and eyes.

Luke crawled over to her and wrapped her in his arms, bringing the Force around her like a protective blanket, immersing her in its healing abilities. He held her close to his body, his head leaning against hers as he willed the virus out of her body.

When he felt the remaining bits of virus leave he pulled back to gaze at her. They were both covered with dirt, blood and sweat, but Luke thought she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. He leaned forward and kissed her, crushing his mouth to hers in anxious abandon. He never felt this connected to a woman before and his pulse quickened as she responded in kind.

Her hands plunged into his hair as she pulled him closer. A slow burn of desire curled through Luke's body and he had to reign in his libido before things got out of hand. He wanted Mara badly, but not when they were filthy, in a darkside tomb and with a Sith gatekeeper watching.

"We should get back to the shuttle," he said nervously. "I don't want to do anything we'll regret later."

She blushed and nodded self-consciously. She stood and picked up Corran's cloak that fell off Luke during his retransformation. "Here." She threw the clothing to Luke who quickly put it on. Mara walked over to the Holocron and deactivated it and returning it to the hiding place where she found it. She turned to Luke looking uncomfortable. "I guess I should get you back to your girlfriend."

Luke frowned as he walked forward and pulled Mara into his arms. "Is that what you want? Because I don't. I came to realize you are the woman who will stand by my side during the good times and the bad. I don't know what fate has in store for me, but I would like you there with me when it happens."

Mara looked down and took his hand in hers. "Then I guess our fates are intertwined. My fate will be yours."

"And yours will be mine," Luke whispered as he leaned in and sealed the vow with a kiss.

 


End file.
